Containers useful for holding liquid or dry goods are old. Containers that are designed to stack vertically for convenient storage are also known. However, when these prior art containers are stacked higher than three to four courses the stacks become unstable and are likely to fall over unless braced or contained by some external means. Likewise, if several vertical stacks are set side-by-side, the entire load becomes unstable and unwieldy to transport without some external bracing, extensive strapping, or containment. These disadvantages become especially troublesome when dealing with large quantities of liquid or dry goods that must be transported in bulk, but must be distributed at the destination in smaller individual quantities. Such situations are common in disaster relief scenarios, where large amounts of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies must be distributed to and within areas lacking functioning transportation systems. Bulk quantities of aid may be trucked or airlifted into a central distribution point, but further distribution within the stricken area may require transfer to man-portable loads in order to reach individuals.
One option then is to utilize large tanks for transporting liquids, or large holds for transporting dry goods, to a distribution point for further transfer. This option is not always desirable because separate smaller containers will be required to offload individual quantities—requiring separate transportation for the smaller containers and specialized equipment to pump or otherwise dispense the bulk goods into the individual containers for redistribution. This method also requires excessive time to transfer loads during time-critical situations.
A second option would be to transport the goods in a large number of conventional small containers. This option is not desirable because large loads of conventional containers filled with product are unstable and so require special packing techniques or special transport vehicles. Another disadvantage to this method is that used containers create a large amount of waste because they have no other function than transportation or storage. The used containers either become trash in the distribution area, or the containers must be transported back to their point of origin thereby consuming valuable transportation space, excess fuel and excess time and labor in reloading.
There may also be situations where it is desirable to utilize the advantages of large capacity liquid tanks at a distribution point, but it is impossible to transport such large tanks to the distribution point. The ability to transport liquids such as fuel or drinking water in smaller portable containers (either man-portable, or easily carried by small vehicles or carts that can travel where large tanker trucks cannot) and then reassemble these small containers into the equivalent of a large tank, with a single dispensing system, would be a great advantage.
Thus, there is a need for a container system capable of storing liquid or dry goods; which can be arranged in stable stacks that are easily palletized for transportation and easily broken down for individual transfer or distribution; and which can also be reassembled to function as a large liquid storage tank.
Sandbags and similar apparatus are also known in the art. Using sandbags for constructing temporary shelters, bunkers, or retaining walls is well known. Sandbags are often used to create temporary dikes to divert flood waters or mud; to construct temporary field fortifications above and below ground; or to construct temporary weather shelters in areas without readily accessible building materials. The main advantages of sandbags are that empty bags are easily transportable; construction methods require only some dirt and labor; and hastily built or partially completed shelters can provide significant protection from weather and/or attack.
Sandbags and similar apparatus have many disadvantages, however. Sandbags become unstable when stacked vertically, so that walls higher than a few feet tall require an extremely thick base or some external structural support such as timbers and planks. Typical materials used to construct sandbags (such as burlap and nylon fabrics) are water-permeable, rapidly becoming waterlogged and unstable, and are easily torn so that frequent repair is necessary. Such materials also tend to breakdown with prolonged exposure to sun and rain, again requiring frequent repair. A further disadvantage is that, due to their water-permeability, typical sandbags can only be filled with sand, dirt, or gravel—not water. Sandbags are thus not optimal in flooding scenarios, requiring rapid construction of stable retaining walls capable of diverting water, because filling the bags with mud will not create a stable wall, and the bags cannot be filled with water—which is distressingly abundant. Another disadvantage of sandbags is that they are not useful for other purposes, and cannot easily be reused.
More durable types of sandbags have been developed, constructed from weather-resistant and watertight synthetic materials. These new types of bags still suffer from the disadvantage that they cannot be used to create stable walls higher than a few feet tall without separate structural support. These new bags also cannot be easily emptied, cleaned, and dried for long term storage and future reuse. Nor can these new bags be used for any other purpose, such as transportation of food, drinking water, medicine, or other goods. Thus, though there are improved sandbags in the prior art these improved sandbags still exhibit many of the disadvantages of older products.
Still other means have been developed for easily constructing walls or shelters, but these also have significant disadvantages. For instance, it is known in the art to utilize reusable pre-fabricated construction blocks of various materials for small retaining walls and erosion control barriers. The disadvantages of these systems are that in order to remain stable they require either a bonding agent or staking with a long rod through the stack. A further disadvantage is that prior art pre-fabricated construction blocks are heavy—weighing thirty pounds or more each—making them difficult to transport in bulk or as man-portable loads. Another disadvantage is that prior art construction blocks do not provide ready-made attachment points for useful add-ons, such as: cosmetic facings for structures, roofing tie-downs, mounting lights or signs, armor plating, handles, and straps for easier transportation, etc. Finally, known prefabricated construction blocks are not useful for any other purpose. Because they are solid rather than hollow such blocks cannot be used for transporting or storing liquid or dry goods.
Thus, there is a need for a device that can combine the advantageous features of stackable liquid tight, reusable storage containers with the advantages of sandbags and prefabricated construction blocks, but which eliminates the major disadvantages of each. The present invention seeks to address these needs.
The following represents a list of known related patents:
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The teachings of each of the above-listed citations (which does not itself incorporate essential material by reference) are herein incorporated by reference. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.